Middle Eastern lamb pilau recipe

This one-pot rice dish looks stunning and tastes even better. Photo / Fresh Media

Spice up your weekend with this one-pot meal.

The kitchen will be filled with aromatic cooking smells when you make this spicy lamb pilau. It doesn’t take long to put together, and you can whip up some tzatziki and a salad to serve with it while it’s in the oven. The pistachios and pomegranate seeds add crunch and a lovely pop of colour to the dish.

Middle Eastern lamb pilau

Serves 4

Ingredients

400g lamb mince

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 400g can of chickpeas

1 cup rice

70g slivered almonds

2 cups stock

2 bay leaves

Spice mix

2 tsp coriander

2 ½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp turmeric

Garnish

1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds

1 Tbsp chopped pistachios

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven. Add the minced garlic, diced onion, lamb and spices and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the chickpeas and rice and sautée for 2 minutes. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaves, and stir gently to mix through. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and stir in the almonds, mint, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper as required and garnish with pistachios and pomegranate seeds.

Afterword

Serve with tzatziki and flat bread, and a salad on the side for an easy and delicious meal.